Incorporating Technology

It is very important to incorporate technology into my classroom because the younger generation is getting exposed to all kinds of technologies earlier and earlier in their lives. Because of this, most of the younger generation's learning style will be through technology, and the current generation of future teachers are still used to teaching using the "old" and "ordinary" methods. Therefore, it is crucial that I break the cycle of teaching the ordinary method by including different technologies.

There could be many benefits to me and my students. A SMARTboard will allow me to save time bynot having to erase the notes that I have written on the blackboard. Also, if I want to reference a definition or example that I used previously, I can go back a couple of Smartboard pages and easily have it displayed for the students. With a blackboard, I would have to either rewrite the definition/example or verbally reference it which might not be helpful to some students. Another kind of technology that would be useful for my classroom is a modern day projector such as an ELMO. The ELMO would allow me to not have my back toward my students while I am giving notes. Something that I learned in this class is that the internet is filled with all sorts of websites that could help learning. While looking for websites to bookmark for the social bookmarking project, I found an amazing virtual manipulatives website. Even if I do not have the opportunity to actually use it in the classroom, I can give the website to students so they can use it home. The benefits from using technology in the classroom is tremendous.

There could be some challenges as well. There could be students who strongly dislike technology and will have trouble using it in the classroom. I would have to adapt that lesson to compensate for their needs which would create more work for me. Also, if the school district for which I am working is not wealthy, then I will have a hard time incorporating technology because there will be no money to spend on technology. Another challenge is that if I have a class that is not easily controlled, then I would not be able to use technology with them because I would lose their attention. The use of technology would not benefit my students because they would more interested in the technology rather than learning.

I will take several important lessons with me. I will use Excel as a quick and easy way to take attendance and calculate grades. If the school, for which I work, will have interactive whiteboards, then I will use the software to create lessons and reviews. I will definitely use the skills that I learned in the new Microsoft Word and use it for other classes at Albright as well as in the classroom. Because of the new set-up in Microsoft Word, it is hard to find ordinary things such as borders and shading. This class was very beneficial to me.